Catch Me Before I Fall
by Marie-Louisa
Summary: Lothlorien's March Warden finds an elf who has lost her memory. It is important that she regains it, so he tries to help her. But, love finds its way in, even if her heart belonged to another before her memory was lost.
1. Chapter 1

As the golden leaves swirled around, Uruviel ran for her life. Her silver, blonde hair rushed behind her as she panted. The branches around her tore at her face. The forest floor was muddy and slippery. As her she ran, she checked to see if she still had the package in her cloak. She slowed down, breathing heavily. Her whole body started to shake from tiredness. But mostly, she was afraid. _Maybe I have lost them…_ She looked around, checking her surroundings. She decided that they must have lost their way and that it would be safe to call for her horse. She whistled the tune her mother use to sing to her at night when she was afraid. Her pointed ears pricked at the sound of hooves. The elf turned around quickly to see her horse come galloping towards her. Finally, the white mare slowed to stop in front of her master. "Tovel, we must hasten to Lothlorien," the elf whispered. She mounted her horse and urged her horse forward.

They had traveled a mile when Uruviel galloped into a meadow. When she was in the middle of the meadow, she slowed her horse. As her horse began to drink, Uruviel hoped off and set aside her traveling gear. She reached from under her cloak a tightly wrapped package. She carefully undid the strings that held the cloth together and marveled at what she saw. Inside of the cloth, a clear blue ball showed her reflection. He placed her hands on it, feeling its smooth texture. _It is an honor that you are chosen for this task_. She smiled at herself when those words turned in her head.

A twig snapped, and it was all over. Uruviel's bright blue eyes looked up to see the evil black eyes of the warg. Too stunned to move, Uruviel looked up to see the sickening grin of the orc. Before the warg could open its vile mouth, Uruviel lashed out her sword at it. The white gleam of the blade cut the side of the warg. As it howled in pain, she scrambled up with the ball and jumped on top of her horse. The orc shrieked at her while she galloped away. As she rushed through the woods, she heard the cries of orcs behind her. She kicked the sides of her horse and they began to go faster. The cold wind whipped her face, leaving it numb. She heard the panting of her horse as it used all of its strength to run. Her hair was swirling behind her, the braids beating against her back. She craned her neck around to see the number of warg riders. Her eyes widened as she say twenty of them charging toward her.

Suddenly, her fear overtook her. All of the sound around her began to become mute. The only thing she could hear was her breathing. She should never have done this task. She was too afraid and weak. _Please Valar, please help me_.

As she looked behind her again, all of the warg riders were gone. She could not believe it. Were her eyes lying to her? Her heart was pounding. The wind blew her golden locks around her face. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold and her face was pale. _I cannot waste one minute. _She turned her horse forward and began to gallop.

As she neared a river, she heard no sound and her horse slowed to a trot. As she breathed in the cold air, it pierced her lungs. She let out a cold breath and watched the cloud disappear into the air. She looked up at the sky and found herself at peace. She slowly closed her eyes and began to breathe evenly. The sound of the river calmed her senses and sighed in content.

As she breathed in, a huge weight came upon her. Shrieking filled her ears and she screamed as she was pushed off her horse. As her back hit the icy waters, she felt sick. She heard the slapping sound her back made and cried out in pain. The cold water felt like a thousand daggers were piercing her. Her head hit the floor of the ocean and felt a rock pierce it. She saw blood around her as she looked towards the surface. Water filled her lungs and she began to cough. She did not know how to swim, but all she knew was that she had to kick for her life. As her head reached the surface, she felt the piercing arrow plunge into her side. Her body weight took her back into the water, leaving her gasping for breath. Her vision blurred as the rapid carried her down the stream. She felt tired, and she began to sink. It was silent in the water and she could not hear a sound. Finally, her eyes began to darken and she could not see anything. She was so numb with the cold, she could not feel anything. The last thing she remembered was a warm hand catch hers.


	2. Chapter 2

Haldir had not seen something like this in a long time. He felt the elf shiver against him in his arms. If it hadn't been for her scream, she would have died. _He_ was the one who had seen her in the first place. After the warg riders were taken care of, he saw a body sinking in the river next to him. His instincts made him grab the cold hand and pull out the mysterious person. When he looked at her, he was stunned. He was shocked to find an elf maiden with a sword at her hip in the water. But, he was also stunned by her blue eyes. They were as blue as a spring sky, full of innocence. To his dismay, they fluttered close, giving her face a look of death. Her face was almost blue from the cold waters, and her skin was as cold as winter ice. He heaved her up in his arms, carrying her towards his horse.

Her tan leggings and skirt were sopping wet. Her white cloak that came down to her waist was also drenched. The top layer of her hair was pleated into four thick braids while the rest of it came underneath her braids. Her silver, blonde hair came all the way down to her elbows. As he placed her next to a camp fire, he wrapped her up tightly with a blanket to prevent her shivering. He also noticed the cut and bruises that were on her head. He assumed that when she landed in the water, she must have hit her head hard against the river floor. He quickly bandaged her head, looking to see what else had come upon this elf. His sharp eyes scanned her arms and legs to see if anything was broken. To his grief, he found a piercing in her side, most likely to have come from an orc arrow. What concerned him the most was the black color that ran in her veins. As he looked at her side, he could her veins outlined in a venomous black color. He cursed silently as he realized that there must have been ors poison on the tip of the arrow that plunged into her side. He bandaged that too, feeling remorse that he could not have arrived earlier to have saved her.

Lothlorien was less than a day away if he traveled swiftly on his gelding. The elleth was not much of a burden, he realized as he placed her on top of the gelding first and jumped on after. He grabbed the reins of his gelding and in doing so, wrapped his arms around the elleth. As her head rested against his shoulder, he felt her cold body. It made him angry, the way her fragile body shook against him. _There will be orc blood splattered over the ground of the Valar. _Her sudden gasp tore him away from his poisonous thoughts. He suddenly felt his mind shatter when he heard her whimper. He remembered the innocent look on her face when he pulled her out of the water. He kicked the sides of the gelding harder as he sped down a rocky trail. If he could get her in time to Lorien, she would be able to receive the elvish medicine she needed.

It was night fall when he entered the city of Lorien. It had begun to drizzle and there was not a sound to be heard. Without hesitation, he rushed his horse to the healing house. When he arrived at the main entrance, he quickly hopped of his gelding and took the elleth in his arms. By the time he ascended the steps to the talan, it began to pour. As he carried the elf inside, stunned faces turned to see him. He saw the shock in their eyes and the fear. Laying her on the nearest bed, a healer rushed toward Haldir. As Haldir pointed out the elleth's wounds, the healer scanned her.

"Who is this?" Haldir's face looked up to see who had uttered these words. An elf with great height leaned over the healer. His grey hair swept back and his grey eyes turned towards Haldir.

"I found her near the eastern side of the forest. She was sinking in the Hallowed River when I pulled her out," Haldir mumbled. The old elf pushed aside the amateur healer and laid his hands on her head. He softly looked at her head to see the cuts and bruises. Haldir looked at the old elf as with wonder. He could see information passing through the elf's eyes as he inspected the female one. Telling the young healer to bring fresh bandages and nemal, the ancient elf sighed.

"I am afraid friend that she has hurt herself in a bad place on her head. This part of the brain is where the memory lies. She hit her head badly enough to lose some of her memory, it seems," the grey elf muttered. Haldir's heart skipped a beat. "We must remove the venom now from her side, before it spreads too far. I must ask you to leave Haldir,"

"You have no authority," Haldir whispered angrily. He did not like it often when people told him what to do. Especially Bromin.

"You will be the cause of her death if you do not leave immediately. Don't try me Haldir. I will win anyway, as usual," Bromin threatened. Haldir stared straight into his friend's eyes, giving Bromin a look anyone else would walk away from. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Haldir spun for the entrance door. He hated it when someone had dominance over him. No one actually did though, except the Lady and Lord of the Wood. He reluctantly mounted his gelding and headed towards the stables.

Black images clouded her mind. Screeching and sorrow filled her ears. She desperately wanted to escape this world. She couldn't breathe. Darkness filled her lungs. She looked around for help but could not find any. She suddenly heard something that scared her the most.

_I promise I will come back to you and marry you. I promise. _

_Catch me. Catch me. Demtren. Catch me Demtren. _

She was suddenly falling. Falling into darkness, losing herself to despair. She could not bear it. She could not alone. Before she fell into the black sea, she screamed. She was waiting for the painful slap against the black water. She did not hear the sound of her back cracking. Instead she felt someone holding her.

_It's alright. You didn't fall. I am here. _

The light hurt her eyes when she opened them a crack. Her thick eyelashes covered her view. She slowly began to open them, blinking once or twice. When her eyes were fully opened, her vision became clearer. She breathed in a deep breath. She felt beads of sweat roll down her throat. Her throat was so dry that she coughed hard. Thankfully, she felt a cup of water brought to her lips. She felt a cool liquid go down her dry throat, calming her. She was soothed by the freshness and began to relax. Then, she could finally see clearly. The first thing the light blue eyes saw was a pair of cold, piercing grey eyes. She felt uncomfortable under their gaze. The owner of the eyes was someone whom she had never met before. The elf had silver, blond hair with a sharp nose and fine mouth. The face was handsome, but it had a complexion of seriousness. He cocked his head at her, as if studying her.

"She's awake," was all he said before he got up and walked away. As he got up, he looked almost bored. The confused elf suddenly became insulted at this look. What ever her thoughts were of him before were completely lost. He left her as if he got bored of her. He walked with such an air, as if he was the only important being in the world. She immensely disliked him, his arrogance, and his stare. But before he walked through the entrance doors, he turned his head to look at her one last time. For a second, he looked like he regretted something. And during that second, she saw a completely different person. Compared to the serious, arrogant face, this one was full of compassion and a little bit of tenderness. Her heart fluttered when he walked through the doors. No one had ever looked at her like that. No one. At least, no one that she remembered.

"Ah, I hope you are well rested."

The young, fair face turned to look up at an old, ancient face. Before she could answer, he proposed another question. "Do tell me, where do you hail from?" The question seemed easy enough, or it seemed at first.

"I…hail from…"

Bromin looked sadly at the elleth who struggled with the question. _Poor child_…

As this question raced through her mind, others entered. Why was she here? Where was she? She had been too captivated by the serious elf from before to question her surroundings. _Where __**do**__ I hail from? _She felt her stomach flip as she became more and more nervous. With her eyes closed and brow furrowed, she thought hard. She became scared. "I don't…know."

"I see."

"Where am I?"

"You are in Lothlorien's healing house. And, you are under my care. I am Bromin son of Brominé"

"Lothlorien…Lothlorien…_Lothlorien!_ What on earth am I doing here! In all places, Lothlorien! But, why am I in the…healing house?"

She saw the old face become grave.

"You were found by one of our wardens and…"

Once Bromin had finished, the elleth was swamped with her thoughts. Bromin began to explain her medical condition, but nothing entered her pointed ears. She simply stared at her hands, trying to grasp that her memory was lost and that recovery of it would be unlikely. In fact, she did not hear anything. All the sound around her slurred over her, and she felt strangely alone. _What if I have a family? Am I married? What is my name? When is my begetting day? Why can't I remember __**my**__ life? Why can I only remember places, and customs? Why was I found in a river? Who pulled me out? _

As if glass shattered, the opening of door pulled her out of her pool of thoughts. She looked up to see the same elf from before. As her eyes met his once more, he quickly looked away. He walked over to her bed and cleared his throat. Bromin stopped lecturing and looked up to see Haldir.

"My lady, this is Haldir, Lothlorien's march warden. He happens to be the very person who rescued you."

The word "rescued" bothered her. She never liked being weak, especially to people with big egos. She _was_ saved by this so called march warden, but she did not like it one little bit.

Haldir had to focus. He had almost walked into the door the last time he locked gazes with this elleth. To save himself from embarrassment, he decided to remain quiet in her presence. Although he hated it when people made him feel nervous, he was still happy to see her lovely blue eyes again. After bowing slightly to her, he beckoned Bromin to a corner of the room.

"I found this with her other items," he said. He took out a small sac and delicately took out a long chain. On the silver chain, there was a white pendant. It was crystal and very ordinate. On the pendant was inscribed _Uruviel. _

"Her name must be this," whispered Bromin.

"My Lady and Lord find it necessary to meet her. Since she was found in such a strange situation, something important must have occurred," Haldir mumbled. Bromin sighed. They walked back over to the bed where the elleth waited eagerly.

"My lady, do you recognize this?" Bromin asked. Haldir placed the necklace delicately into her hand. His fingertips brushed lightly against her palm in doing so. He felt an electric shock go through his body, making himself numb. As if she felt this too, she looked up at him. She locked her gaze with his. Realizing their staring, she turned her stare towards the pendant.

"Uruviel. I don't remember it."

Seeing her face fall, Haldir said, "It is most likely your name since you were found with this necklace."

She looked up at him.

"Yes, I suppose."

Mustering all of his strength to speak properly without stuttering, he said "The Lord and Lady of this Wood would like to make your acquaintance. They are wise and can help you in you situation."

Taken off guard by this statement, Uruveil simply said, "Oh"

"Now, I think it is best if you make your self comfortable here. You may wish to bathe and if that may be the case, a maid will help you," Bromin said kindly.

After both ellon exused themselves, a maid entered and began to prepare a bath. Gratefully, Uruveil sank in the warm waters and felt every single part of her body relax. She sighed and closed her eyes.

"_The Lord and Lady of this Wood would like to make your acquaintance. They are wise and can help you in you situation."_ Uruviel swallowed and sank in the water at the thought. She had read, heard and seen great things done by Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. Now, she would actually meet them. Her stomach flipped like it had earlier. This brought her thoughts to Haldir Lothlorien's famed march warden. Hidden one, the name meant. That was for sure.

She moved into a new room, one that was more friendly. She slipped into the silky sheets and placed her head on the soft pillow. Her large, blue eyes observed every part of the room. She noticed that a pair of fresh clothes were ready for her.

_In all of this mess, at least I am in a warm, safe bed. _

With that in her head, her eyelids grew heavy and she quietly fell asleep.

Haldir could not close his eyes. He had so much thought in his head. He had not had one hour of sleep. He was too restless to sleep. He needed to go outdoors and find peace there. He quickly slipped on his tunic and leggings and left his talan silently into the crack of dawn. Even in the quietest places, his mind would not let him rest. The one thought he would try to push away kept on coming back. He could not help it.

_Uruveil_

How am I doing? Sorry it took a while to update….


	3. Chapter 3

How am I doing so far

Chapter 3

Uruviel stretched her slim arms. She sighed and opened her eyes. After her dark dream, she was quite restless and needed to think. This dream had haunted her before. She pulled the sheets tighter around her as she remembered vividly the part in her dream where she began to fall. Her hands and face were drenched in sweat and her hands were still shaking. _I must take some fresh air. _ She slowly sat up in her bed and inspected her hip. Yellow and purple bruises had formed around her injury. Thanks to the nemal plant antidote, the wound was on its way to recovery.

But still, it was sore.

She sighed and tried to get up. Even with the support of the side of the bed, her legs still felt tired. They began to wobble and gave into weakness. She fell to the ground with a huff. She cursed silently and tried to get back up. She had not walked for four days now. She just had lied in bed receiving disgusting medicine. She had been so bored too. She wanted to get some exercise and try to find some forsaken book to read anywhere. She didn't mind what the book would be as long as it would keep her from going insane.

She became even more determined when she fell for a second time. She crawled to a nearby chair and grabbed the legs of the furniture for support. Carefully, as she stood up straight, she smiled in triumph. After stumbling around the room a couple of times, she decided she could manage a stroll outside. She slipped on some comfortable shoes they had spared for her and but on a robe over her night gown. Her feet padded down the stairs and she entered in the main hall of the healing house. As she looked out a large, glass window, she saw that there was some light that beamed through the tall trees, but there was still some morning mist.

She walked outside the talan and felt the morning chill bite her. She wrapped her arms around her, trying to get some warmth. Hearing some early birds chirp, she realized that no one else was up. She liked the calm and the stillness and decided to go further. She left the area where many talans were lodged and wandered until she found a path in the woods that looked entrancing.

The Lorien forest was so elegant she noted. There was some quality that gave the forest an air of majesty. It calmed her senses somehow. Anybody would be considered lucky to even see this great sight. _Lord Celeborn and the Lady of Light must be proud to be the rulers over this land_. As she turned that thought in her head, she realized how important they must be.

The thought of her meeting them intimidated her. Could they possibly have the time to even converse with her? Surely people of great stature like them have nothing to do with a girl like her. Her stomach began to do flips as she remembered. She sighed and looked up at the great trees. She felt so small compared to them. That made her feel even more insignificant in Lothlorien.

She left the dirt path and walked up to one of the trunks of the old trees. She stepped onto the roots and gained her balance as she steadily approached the massive trunk. She smiled to herself, feeling like a little elfling, playing and exploring. When she neared it, she laid her hands on the dark trunk. She felt the rugged bark as she moved her hands down the tree. Soft, green moss brushed her hand. But all of a sudden, she felt something strange. She felt two small carvings at the very bottom of the tree. She bent down on her knees to see two, small names. In the elvish language, it read _Gwéneth _and _Tolias_. She put her fingers in the carvings and traced the letters of the two names. When she said those names aloud, she felt like she knew them from before. They sounded comforting and she immediately liked them.

_Snap_

Uruviel's head spun around at the sound. Her large eyes narrowed at what she saw. A tall, blond elf was walking away from her point of view. His head was facing the ground and his hands were behind his back. His clothing did betray him, but it was not because of that Uruviel recognized him. It was his manner of walking.

Realizing someone was behind him and staring, Haldir frowned.

_If this is one of my insufferable brothers playing a joke on me…_

He stopped his pacing, put on his "piercing-eye" look, and turned around. Instantly, his "piercing-eyes" vanished and softened as he gazed at her.

_Well, look who it is. The incredibly dashing, rude march warden… _

As she thought this, she then realized it was rude of _her_ to think that way. He did save her life after all…

She got up and straightened her self. "My Lord," she said as she curtsied. Haldir returned her courtesy and bowed. When his face came back up, he stared into the remarkable eyes she had. He had never met someone who could match with her eyes. She stared right back at him and the two of them simply stood there.

After ten seconds of silence, Haldir made the first move.

"You seem to have the talent of resilience my Lady."

"So it seems."

Uruviel cast her eyes down, counting the seconds until this elf would excuse himself from her.

"And, you have acquainted yourself with the charm of the forest it seems."

Uruviel looked up.

"Yes, I find more peace here than at the healing house."

"Are you not comfortab—"

"Oh yes, everyone has been kind to me."

_Perhaps too kind…_

"Ah."

Uruviel cast her head down again. _Anything left to say oh mighty one…_

"I was just going for a walk. I just felt quite trapped there. I really had to get some fresh air and clear my mind."

"Yes, I understand what you mean."

_Believe me, I do understand. I am doing the exact same thing…_

Once again, Haldir and Uruviel simply stood at their spots and stared at the ground. A tense atmosphere built around them, leaving them unsure of what to say. Uruviel shuffled her feet, trying to decide if she should leave in twenty seconds or fifteen. Haldir cleared his throat and put on that same bored look he had before.

_I think I will go with five._

Uruviel cleared _her_ throat and said, "My Lord, I think I should return back. I do not want to be missed."

"Oh, yes of course."

As Uruviel was about to hop of the root, Haldir quickly added, "May I accompany you?"

Uruviel quickly regained her balance and looked up at him abruptly.

_Oh Valar…_

"Oh… that is very _kind_ of you. I think I will be fine though. But thank you so much."

Haldir's heart grew heavy. He knew that she thought him dull, but he did not know what to say…

Uruviel waddled off the great root and hopped lightly to the ground. When she landed on her two feet, her hip raged with pain. As if lit on fire, her whole leg raged with pain and her knees began to wobble. She winced at it and no longer could stand.

Her back hit the forest floor first and her sore head hurt even more. Haldir quickly rushed to her side.

_Someone is too sure of herself…_

Haldir tried to muffle his smile at this thought.

"My lady, do take care. You may think you are in your regular state, but I fear you may need to wait a little longer."

Before he could offer her his hand Uruviel rapidly sat up.

"No, no. I am fine. I will…take your words to heart. But I do not need assistance," she said through gritted teeth.

Feeling her tense mood, Haldir stepped back and let her have some room to get up. He watched her rise swiftly and limp to a little dirt road that would lead her back to the Healing House. As soon as she was out of seeing distance, his composed face crumbled. He sighed, angry with himself.

_I will probably forget about her. I do not know her anyway. She might just be the most boring elf maiden that ever existed!_

…………………………………………_But, I highly doubt that._

Thinking about how idiotic he was, his hand kept on flexing as he walked towards the training fields.

Uruviel mulled over her clumsiness as she neared the Healing House.

_The one time you must act normal, you act like a complete damsel in distress!_

She huffed as she reached the last step to the great house. As she entered in the main hall, many healers were up and bustling around. The quiet and peaceful mood had vanished completely. Out of all the commotion, a hand lightly touched her arm, making Uruviel's head turn around. Bromin smiled as he greeted her.

"It seems to me that you are doing just fine on your own, young one,"

Uruviel frowned mentally at _young one_ but smiled delicately anyway. She did not like being thought of as a weak, little elfling…

"I think it is appropriate for you to now go see Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. Do you feel any fatigue? Time is on their side and they are willing to wait. You have absolutely no pressure if you are too tired youngling"

This time, Uruviel's composed face frowned as she turned her options in her head.

"Well, I uh—

_Again with the youngling! I am not sure I can meet these great people with out saying stupid, but I am certainly not a __**young, weak, elfing!**_

—I would be honored to meet them."

Uruviel's hip hurt as her whole body went up and down. Her horse made an echoing noise as it trotted on the brick road. There were still some elves in the street, but most had gone inside to tuck their children into bed or were reading a novel in their beds. The horse right next to hers abruptly sneezed, causing Uruviel to jump. Uruviel had no memory of horses or riding one so evidently, she was quite terrified. Haldir noticed her reaction to his horse and turned his head to check on her. He saw her hands gripped tightly on the horse's reigns and her scared eyes looking straight ahead of her. He also noticed how she flinched each step the horse took.

_It's alright. I will catch you if you fall._

As if hearing his thoughts, her head snapped in his direction, making Haldir suddenly uncomfortable. As Uruviel stared at him, her heart beat quickened.

_His horse frightens me…_

_Or is it…_

As Uruviel gazed at him, his face completely changed. To her surprise, the sternness melted away, revealing a compassionate expression. His eyes weren't as narrow as they were before and his lips forming a tight line on his face relaxed. His shoulders shrugged just a little, giving him more of a normal posture compared to the perfect straight posture he had before. Uruviel liked Haldir _a little bit more_ when he was like that. It made him look more…_normal_, not the perfectionist he tries to be. But, something began to worry her. His face began to turn almost _purple_. Her light eyebrows went down in confusion and worry suddenly.

Haldir breathed in. His grip around the leather reigns tightened as he tried to hide his embarrassment.

_She. Made. You. Stop. Breathing._

_Pathetic._

_Absolutely pathetic. _

Haldir turned his gaze to the approaching talan and cleared his clear throat.

_Focus. All you had to do was accompany her to the Lord and Lady. You have done this task more than a thousand times. The one time you must act normal, you act like a complete moron._

Uruviel's eyes gazed up at magnificent talan with the starry backround. It was quite big and there were mardens ever single corner you went. The white moon shined down on her as she gazed up in awe. The second clearing oh Haldir's throat brought her back down to earth. Haldir had already gotten off his horse and was offering his hand for her to dismount. She sighed mentally.

_It won't kill you._

She placed one hand lightly in his and the other on his broad shoulder. He placed his hand on her waist and held on to her while she hopped off her horse. Aware of her injury, he carefully placed the her on the ground and let go immediately.

"Come," he said. Uruviel gratefully handed over her horse's reins to a nearby stable boy and began to climb the long, winding staircase. The ascended the steps in total silence. They finally climbed the last step and walked over to the main entrance.

**--Sorry, this one is not that long. It's quite pathetic really, but I could really do with some reviews. I have received so many kind e-mails asking for me to update soon, so voila. It isn't the longest, but it is something. **


	4. Chapter 4

The first thing Uruviel noticed about the entrancing surroundings was that there was so much light. The entrance to the talan was simple, but well furnished. Everything had a place in the room whether it was simple or grand. She felt a warm midsummer's night breeze on her back and she could hear the swaying and the whispering of the high trees. Her silver hair was gently being pushed around by the wind and ended up tickling the young face. She smiled for the second time during her adventure at the bliss of the moment.

Uruviel didn't even realize that she was straddling behind when Haldir turned around to make sure she was following. "Shall we?" he sarcastically mumbled. Uruviel swiftly made her way across a patio filled with water fountains and statues of old in order to keep up with the March Warden. His manner of walking was quite unique to Uruviel. Instead of placing one foot in front of the other, his long legs moved fast at a certain tempo. It almost seemed like he was flying at times.

They finally entered into a room that seemed more like a study to Uruviel. The room was rectangular with enormous windows that practically touched the high ceiling. Book shelves covered every inch of wall filled. Dusty, worn books with brown covers that were to be found in the shelves must have been at least one thousand years old. The place smelled like roses and the fresh water you take from a stream.

"Roses," she whispered. To his irritation, Haldir turned around again and stared at the elleth.

"Yes… White roses are Her Ladyship's favorite flowers," Haldir responded as he turned back around.

"They are my favorite as well. I use to have these in my room when I was younger," said the elleth.

Haldir suddenly whipped back around and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Are your memories coming back to you? Are you starting to remember your past life?"

Uruviel's visage suddenly brightened at the thought but was only to dim a couple seconds later as she tried to remember something else.

"No," She replied softly. "I am sorry…I am sorry.

Haldir turned his back on her again only to hide his secret remorse for the poor thing. Whatever Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn had planned for her, hopefully it would put her mind at ease.

A couple seconds later, a servant entered the study only to tell the other two elves that Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel were on their way. As Haldir watched Uruviel smooth out the crinkles on her dress, he wondered what exactly the Lord and Lady of the Wood were going to do with her. She could possible work in the kitchens, but that job didn't seem to suit Uruviel so he pushed that thought out of his head. But what if she was to be sent away? His thoughts were cut short as he heard the screeching of a chair being dragged across the floor. Uruviel, being in a nervous state, had accidently bumped into an antique chair and almost knocked over a suit of armor in the process.

Haldir did not know why, but this elf was the most charming being he had ever met. Uruviel's clumsiness, stubbornness, and eyes made him look at her differently from the other elleth. He laughed mentally at the thought, for he didn't know her at all really. The only kind of conversation he had with her was this morning and that should not be considered conversation. But there was something about Uruviel. There was some kind of force or some type of energy that lived around her that pulled him in but at the same time repelled him out. He didn't really know how to put this kind of behavior into words.

The servant that had come earlier re-entered the room announcing the arrival of Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. Haldir straightened his posture and bowed as bright light filled the room. Uruviel's eyes widened at the sight. Two tall figures floated through the wide doors and approached Uruviel and Haldir. Standing before Uruviel was a tall woman with an ageless, beautiful face. Lord Celeborn was slightly taller and seemed to have more of a serious complexion than his wife. But together, the couple represented exactly what Uruviel had felt on her short walk earlier: Magesty. There was powerful and graceful atmosphere that generated from the two, one that Uruviel had never experienced before in her life.

"Welcome," spoke Galadriel. Her voice rang and echoed in Uruviel's ears as each word was uttered. Fear had been building in Uruviel's heart and she drooped her head in despair. It was as she had expected. This place was too grand, too superior for her to be truly welcomed to. They would most likely send her away to someplace no one would even know about. "The Golden Wood open's its arms to you Uruviel, child of one who is blessed. Do not let the shadows of doubt fill your heart. Rise above this and you will live life to its fullest," she whispered.

Something suddenly awoke in a faraway place in Uruviel's heart. Her head snapped up in response to this new feeling that began to fill her body.

_Rise above this. Do not suddenly give up with out even fighting. Let them talk. Let people whisper about how unfit you are to be here. Let people doubt you and look down at you. For you can rise above this. Because you __**can**__ rise above this. _

Uruviel gazed up at the Lady of the Wood for a second time. Only this time, there was determination, courage, and the will to succeed that filled her bright blue eyes. If they were going to assign her to do something or send her far away, she would succeed in living her life no matter what.

"You are generous and kind my Lord and Lady. I thank you for everything. And whatever you ask me to do, I will achieve success for the good of Lothlorien," replied Uruviel. She bowed her head in respect to them.

Haldir's brows furrowed at the long silence. His eyes darted between those of Lady Galadriel and those of Uruviel. He was very nervous.

_What would __**you**__ have me do with this elleth Haldir?_

Haldir's eyes were being watched by Galadriel. There was a slight smile on her lips and her chin rose up as she read Haldir's thoughts on Uruviel. Galadriel turned her attention to her husband who had not uttered one single word this whole time and told him mentally her decision. Celeborn nodded in approval and finally spoke,

"Would you serve under my wife as her attending maiden young one?"

Uruviel did not answer immediately which caused Haldir to begin to shift from one foot to another. "You do not need to give us an answer yet. If that is not your choice however, you would be welcomed in the Halls of Mirkwood or of Imladris," he continued. At this point Haldir was flexing his right hand behind his back.

Finally after the longest five minutes in Haldir's life passed by, Uruviel looked up at Celeborn and then turned to Galadriel.

"No."

Haldir's heart skipped a beat.

"No my Lord, I shall give my answer now."


End file.
